Coleman's two touchdowns lead South Hunterdon to victory

Andrew Miller/For The TimesToby Coleman, right, shown here earlier this season, had two touchdowns Friday night to lead South Hunterdon past Dayton Regional

By James McNamara Jr.
For The Times

WEST AMWELL — The South Hunterdon High School football team held off Dayton 14-10 on a cold and rainy evening Friday night.

The Eagles (4-2) dominated early, scoring twice in the second quarter, first on an 11-yard run by junior running back Toby Coleman that gave them a 6-0 lead after a missed extra point.

With 6:45 remaining in the quarter, Eagles linebacker Austin Van Treuren came up with an interception that led to a Coleman 10-yard touchdown run, his second of the game.

“Our (starting) running back went down, so I kind of knew I was going to play the whole game,” Eagles running back Toby Coleman said.

After the Coleman touchdown, the Eagles made up from their previous missed field goal by scoring on a two-point conversion by running back Robert Albanir, giving the Eagles a 14-0 lead at the end of the half.

Dayton (3-4) answered back with 6:53 left in the third quarter with a 15-yard field goal to cut the lead to 11.

In the fourth quarter, with 6:45 remaining, the Bulldogs scored on a 51-yard screen pass to make it a 14-10. However, that would be the last time the Bulldogs scored.

“Thank God it rained today, because if we played Dayton on turf, then it could’ve been a completely different game for us,” Eagles coach Toby Jefferis said.

The Bulldogs had a chance with 1:19 remaining in the game, but with an incomplete pass and two sacks from Eagle linebacker Jack Price and defensive end Jake Whitaker, South Hunterdon’s defense helped win the game.

“The defense was good,” Coleman said. “I take credit to the line for really working hard out there.”